


just to be safe

by pinkberrygeek



Series: Just an omega teen superhero [1]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Friendship, M/M, Omega!Wally, Season One Compliant, alpha!conner, brief misunderstanding, mentions of a/b/o politics and dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23807836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkberrygeek/pseuds/pinkberrygeek
Summary: Wally sighs, exhaling heavily through his nose. He seems to hesitate again for a moment, before finally relenting, the words spilling from his lips in such a rush it takes Conner a few seconds to decipher them.“I’m an omega.”Conner frowns.“I have no idea what that is.”
Relationships: Kon-El | Conner Kent & Wally West, Kon-El | Conner Kent/Wally West
Series: Just an omega teen superhero [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1715305
Comments: 4
Kudos: 143





	just to be safe

**Author's Note:**

> Self-indulgent fic to satisfy my ABO Wally West needs. Also, Superkid is so underrated as a ship?? Even a platonic one! One thing YJ could've done better, in my opinion, was to emphasise the close bonds between the OG squad. :c
> 
> Not beta'ed! I'll be adding other ficlets under this collection when I've whipped them up.  
> Stay safe and enjoy!

He was homeless, the day of his rescue.

Wally had offered for him to stayover at the West family home. He had been reluctant at first, perfectly fine with roughing it out somewhere (the elements had little to no effect on him) until they could figure out what to do with the clone.

But Wally had insisted, saying it wasn’t right for him to sleep on the streets when he could have a roof over his head. Conner failed to see the difference but accepted anyway.

Despite his loud and slightly annoying mannerisms, he’d come to trust Wally West.

They said their goodbyes to Robin and Aqualad and headed back to Keystone, together.

⚡

Upon arriving at the West residence, he was greeted briefly by Mary and Rudolph West, the speedster’s biological parents.

“We're happy to have you,” Mrs West said, and Conner immediately knew she was lying. He could hear the rate in which her heartbeat changed, something the G-Gnomes had taught him to pay careful attention to when dealing with humans, a common giveaway to dishonesty.

He did not let Mary or Rudolph’s false hospitality bother him—why would it?—and nodded curtly, following Wally to his bedroom on the second floor of their humble suburban home.

“So, here it is! _Mi casa es su casa_ ,” Wally grins, arms spread wide.

Conner takes a seat on the wheeled desk chair. He watches silently as Wally winces, tugging tattered yellow spandex over his shoulders, stripping himself down to his boxers in preparation for a shower. Conner notices the white patch plastered across the left side of his neck. Judging from the way it still remained a pristine white, he deduced the patch was attached there prior to their fight with Dr Desmond, seeing as the rest of Wally that hadn’t been covered by his uniform was coated in dirt and a thin dusting of rubble.

“Are you in pain?” He asks bluntly, catching the redhead’s attention. Conner points to the bandage. “Do you need me to check your wounds?”

Wally freezes (“Shit!”), his whole body tensing (and not from the pain of his injuries, either) slowly turning to look at Conner with shock, eyebrows raised.

“Don’t you know what this is?” Wally asks incredulously. The Kryptonian feels slightly offended at his tone, feeling mocked.

“No. Am I supposed to?”

“Uh… well… huh,” Wally purses his lips, looking concerned. “I guess Cadmus didn’t include this in the memo. Pretty strange if you ask me… you’re clearly an alpha. Like Superman.”

“An… alpha?” It was a word used to describe the leader in a pack of wolves, that he did know. He had never heard of the term being applied to humans in society (well, never had a G-Gnome tell him otherwise, at least).

Wally sighs, looking uncomfortably embarrassed. There’s a tense silence before the speedster turns to look at him, emerald green eyes boring into his sky blue ones.

“Look, I don’t normally do this—this is a super-duper important secret to me. Only Batman and the Flash know. So you have to _swear_ to keep this a secret, okay?”

Conner swallows thickly at the unyielding gaze the redhead is sending his way. He had never seen Wally this serious for the few hours that he had come to know him (which, under the threat of imminent death, was a fairly well). He nods compliantly.

Wally exhales heavily through his nose. He seems to hesitate again for a moment, before finally relenting, the words spilling from his lips in such a rush it takes Conner a few seconds to decipher them.

“I’m an omega.”

A pause.

Conner frowns. 

“I have no idea what that is.” He crosses his arms defensively, unsure whether he was being made fun of by his new ally (though Wally had said to use the term _friend_ ) (“Don’t be such a stiff!”).

Wally purses his lips again (a tick Conner now knew he unconsciously exhibited when annoyed, or anxious), sheepishly scratching the back of his neck, fingers grazing the patch.

“C’mere, dude,” Wally beckons him over. Conner approaches slowly, warily. “Okay, what I’m about to do is pretty freaking inappropriate by societal standards, _buuuut_ this is probably the easiest way for you to understand.”

As soon as Conner is within arm’s reach, Wally rests a hand on his arm (warm) and reaches for the patch with the other, slowly peeling it off. It flutters uselessly to the ground, slightly damp with sweat.

He frowns.

“What is this supposed to teach me?” Conner demands to know, indignantly. “I don’t understand—”

Wally gently pushes his head forward, towards his neck, startling him at the touch. In a rare moment of clumsiness, Conner trips over a stray pant leg (the redhead disliked using his laundry basket, from the looks of things) and stumbles, nose unintentionally brushing against Wally’s sternocleidomastoid muscle.

 _Then_ he smells it.

His heart rate suddenly speeds up and his vision goes blurry—for a brief moment, he thinks he’s been drugged—he feels his muscles naturally relaxing as he inhales the sweet scent (but not overpoweringly so), feels his arms automatically come to wrap around Wally’s waist as he draws him close, wanting more of it.

It smells _amazing_. Soothing a deep ache Conner hadn’t known he had, awakening something primal within his psyche. He feels himself stir (the tattered white bodysuit doing little to hide it) and feels his cheeks heating up as he realises he is being sexually _aroused_.

This triggers something hidden away at the back of his mind, something his fellow G-Gnomes had kept hidden away, despite Cadmus’ insistence that he should not be made aware of such things, his sole purpose to destroy Superman should he turn from the light.

All too soon, Wally is pulling away, grunting as he yanks Conner’s heavy arms away from his body. He zips over to his nightstand and opens the drawer, fingers unwrapping a new patch and quickly slapping it back over where the original had been. And just like that, the spell is broken. Conner realises that the white patch acts as a pheromone blocker, preventing the hypnotic scent from affecting him.

Everything just… clicks.

He feels the knowledge coming back to him like a computer file that had been opened—a piece of important information returned. He wondered how much data had been censored and hidden away in his brain.

“Secondary genders—a biological trait of humans and certain alien species where designations are assigned to them after presenting in adolescent years, which then translates to their roles in mating, social interactions and communities.” Conner narrates robotically.

Wally nods in approval, a wistful smile on his face.

⚡

Later, they are both scrubbed clean of grime, smelling of lavender shampoo and nestled under soft, warm blankets (Conner on a foldable mattress, provided courtesy of Mrs West). Wally generously takes the time to explain the dynamics of their society and how alphas, betas and omegas behave and interact.

He learns that alphas are born leaders, strong and brave, that nearly eighty per cent of heroes in the League are alphas, a testament to their natural instincts to protect and defend. Superman was an alpha— _the_ alpha. People looked up to him as a role model for good alpha behaviour.

Betas composed of nearly 70 per cent of the overall human population, operating mainly by their primary genders. They did not rely on scent to find mates and considered romantic instead of biological compatibility.

Omegas, male or female, all have the ability to carry children. Natural nurturers, Wally said, though he didn’t look very happy speaking about his secondary gender and the labels which accompanied it. Omegas had been ostracised for hundreds of years due to both religious and institutional propaganda—in medieval society, omegas and their alluring effects on alphas had even been briefly deemed as a form of ‘witchcraft’, which Wally vehemently complained about (“Magic is so dumb”).

It had taken a long time for omegas to obtain the same rights and equality as other genders, though there was an occasional “butthead”—as Wally had so eloquently put—who saw them as weak and problematic.

Wally stresses the importance of keeping his secondary gender a secret, especially since he was in the hero business. Some alphas could be cruel, or just unintentionally domineering, commanding omegas with nothing but words if they were aware of their presence. Their natural need to protect occasionally inhibited normal social interaction.

“It’s not that I don’t trust Rob, or Roy, or the other heroes. This is just a precaution. I don’t want anyone using this against me.” Wally clears his throat, looking uncomfortable again. “I told you because I don’t want you finding out by accident later on. You _are_ kind of young. Consider this sex-ed!” The redhead winks.

Conner tries not to let his irritation show. He knows what ‘accident’ Wally is referring to. Now that he had access to the information the G-Gnomes kept stored away for him, he is aware not only of the definitive meanings of secondary genders but also the darker connotations to it. To all genders, actually. 

Sexual assault.

He knew he was—as Robin had termed it—“literally born nearly yesterday”, but that didn’t mean he was _stupid_. Or lacked control over his actions, despite his temper. The irritation boils over, turning into a feeling of anger and betrayal.

He hated the fact that Wally had relayed a deep secret to him unwillingly, out of concern that he would cause an ‘ _accident’_. It was a testament to the pathetic amount of faith Wally had in him.

Conner deals in the only way he knows how—he lashes out.

“You should _trust_ me! After what we’ve just been through—I’m NOT—I _wouldn’t_ —” The anger gets the best of him (again) and Conner snarls, hating himself. Hating his inability to form coherent sentences, the way he stumbles over his words when angry. Hated the way the Leaguers had stared at him with shocked, pitiful gazes when he didn’t need it. Hated the fact that the person he had longed to meet since he was capable of cognitive thought refused to remain in his presence for more than five minutes.

“Hey. Supey?” Wally’s voice is gentle, almost a whisper.

The speedster slides off the bed, onto the mattress where Conner sits rigidly, blankets clenched tightly in his superhuman grip. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I’m sorry if it came out wrong. If anything, me telling you this means I really _do_ trust you—with my life.”

Conner doesn’t respond as Wally’s hand rubs soothing circles on his back. The sound of exploding fireworks breaks the silence, the humans in the neighbourhood continuing to celebrate their independence day.

“Whatever.” Conner grunts, feeling like a human child being coddled by their parent. _Pathetic_. “I’ll keep my mouth shut and stay out of your way. That'll be the least of your worries.”

“It’s not _you_ I’m worried about!” Wally snaps, going rigid. “When my heat comes—” His fingers clench the fabric of Rudy’s shirt (which Conner had borrowed) (nothing of Wally’s had fit).

The redhead trails off mid-sentence, shaking his head. Plasters a tense smile on his freckled face. “When my heat comes… I can’t control myself. I have to be locked up, so I don’t lure some random, _unsuspecting alpha_ into my bed.”

He chuckles mirthlessly. Bitterly. “I don’t want to put you in a situation where you might not be able to control yourself. You’re so… innocent. You don’t know what it’s like being around an omega in heat. _That’s_ what I meant. About _accidents_.”

Conner feels the guilt eating away at his conscience. Wally isn’t smiling anymore, his previously excitable and playful demeanour all but vanished.

All because he’d jumped to conclusions and immediately assumed the worst. Perhaps it was him, and not Wally, who lacked the ability to trust.

When the speedster tries to crawl back into his own bed, Conner reaches out and yanks him into his chest, causing the shorter to squeak in surprise. His grip is unsure, awkward, as he loosens his fingers on Wally’s arms, careful of his strength.

“… Sorry.” Conner says. The irritating warmth is back, his face hot with embarrassment. Was this apology sufficient in the context of this social interaction? He hardly thinks so. To his relief, however, he feels Wally laugh, leaning against his chest. This action triggers a small smile from him.

The awkwardness has passed, for which he is extremely grateful.

“That’s okay, dude,” Wally wraps his arms around the Kryptonian’s broad shoulders, leaning in. He speaks softly. “I’m sorry too. And I’m really glad you’re here.”

His friend’s heartbeat is steady and his body remains still, free of any tells or signs of a lie. Conner knows the words spoken are the truth. 

And this changes everything. Distracts him from the barrage of problems he’d be sure to face when reality came knocking at his door. Lifts an invisible weight off his shoulders. 

Wally’s words mean the world to him. Gradually things would change—he would see Robin and Aqualad again, and their friendships would grow. He would meet new people, other heroes, expanding his social network and making relationships throughout his life.

At that moment though, Wally was everything. Hearing that Wally was happy to be in his presence filled him with so much relief and contentment, Conner didn’t know how to respond (happiness).

So he remains silent, clinging onto Wally like a lifeline. 

⚡

He’s not sure who falls asleep first, but Conner has a peaceful, dreamless sleep. He fights the urge to sleep in the ‘closet’ (a device humans used to store their clothing), as it reminded him of his pod. He doesn’t want to move and stir Wally from his slumber. Wally was still healing from the injuries of the battle and needed all the rest he could get.

Hours later, the clone’s eyes open at exactly 07:50 AM sharp (Mrs West had requested they be down for breakfast by eight).

Conner adjusts the sleeping speedster gently, peeling him off his chest and lifting him gently in his arms, laying him back down onto the soft mattress of the bed.

“I’ll keep you safe,” He declares, to Wally’s sleeping figure. It serves as a reminder to himself as well. To protect his friend. “From any… _accidents_ , or otherwise.”

Conner stands back up to full height and heads to the bathroom, missing the smile that crosses Wally’s peaceful face.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! This fandom isn't as active anymore (DC really did Wally dirty) but I still enjoy reading fics about Wally and the gang. Mainly Wally, because he's a cinnamon roll. The S1 OG Squad is the best squad.


End file.
